About Montana Maid Coffee Roasters
About Us
At Montana Maid Coffee Roasters, we strive to create small batch coffee that is fresh and bold every time. Starting at a weekend farmers market and growing into a regional roasting company, our fluid-bed roasting process creates a unique smooth taste, with each of our unique blends being named after local rivers.
Locally and Family Owned
Our company is family owned and operated, which allows for consistency and a personable feel for each and every bag of coffee. Hand labeled bags, fresh ground coffee, and precisely measured and sealed bags, all done in Clancy, Montana.
About Us
Sam Schowengerdt - Owner
When I was 15 years old, my ski instructor was the owner of a coffee shop in Helena, Montana, and he offered me a job on a chair lift to work for him as a barista. Not knowing anything about coffee, I took the job and created a passion for coffee very quickly. Working with many great mentors and learning everything I could about coffee shops, soon led me to learning about the source of this whole industry: roasting coffee. As I help this company grow, I plan to bring my knowledge of the coffee shop business and roasting together, with the end goal of providing the best coffee in the North West, from the roasting of the bean to serving coffee to the customer.
Garrett Oleson - Manager, Roaster
Growing up in Montana, I was practically raised in the outdoors. From hunting trips with my dad, to fishing trips with my grandpa, to skiing with my friends, I was always outside. This meant I always needed fuel for the adventure. Because of this I have always been drinking and interested in coffee. I am now bringing this interest to MMCR. My goal is to learn each roast how to improve our coffee to become the go to adventure brew for everyone seeking adventure in the outdoors or just a relaxation cup at home.
Our Roaster
We use a fluid-bed roasting process. This is not a common roasting process, however it is starting to grow in popularity in the coffee world.
Imagine a popcorn popper: you put the kernels in, hot air push through the kernels, and heats them to the point where they pop.
A fluid-bed roaster accomplishes the same thing with the same concept... only with coffee! It keeps the coffee beans moving constantly in a circular flowing motion, not allowing them to constantly rub against the walls of the machine that get hot and often cause the burning of the bean and give that bitter taste, which typically happens with a drum roaster. Instead, our coffee is always smooth and never bitter. Which is why we go by the slogan, "the maid is never bitter!"